Tram-rail.



W. H. PUTTERGILL.

TRAM RAIL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1. 1918.

1,287,096 Patented Dec. 10,1918.

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TRAM-RAlL. I

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented D60. 10, 1918.

Application filed July 1, 1918. Serial No. 242,843.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HENRY PUT- TERGILL, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Herne Hill, county of London, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tram-Rails, for whichI have obtained a patent in Great Britain, No. 112,598, dated 5th September, 1917, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to tram rails ofthe type which, to obviate the necessity of tearing up the permanent way every time. a rail requires renewing, comprise superimposed,

sections which engage one another against lateral movement, the lower section or ground rail being flanged and permanently secured in the ground, and the upper section or wearing surface and head being supported by and detachably secured to the flange of the ground rail by means of screw-threaded studs passed through slotted recesses in the bottom of the flange groove of the surface rail, and screwing into holes in the flange of the ground rail, such arrangement allowing for expansion and contraction of said surface rail.

In the above connection, the flange which receives the surface or wearing rail is horizontally disposed, forming with the web of the ground rail a practically T-shaped head, and said surface rail is prevented from lateral movement outward by means of the beforementioned screw-threaded studs and by means of a tongue and groove joint formed at the outer side of said flange and the bottom part of the head portion of the wearing or surface rail.

The object of my invention is, by the hereinafter described construction and arrangement, to produce a lighter removable surface or wearing rail, and at the same time a more efficient means for preventing the lateral movement of said surface or wearing rail than heretofore.

For a clear understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through the improved rail; and,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the manner of securing the surface or wearing rail to the ground rail.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in said figures.

- s ren,

" In carrying out the invention, the ground 7 rail 4, which is headed and fixed and joined endwise by fishplates and bolts, slotted'in same or similar positions for stretchers and tierods in the mannerwhic'h at present obtains, is of somewhat less depth than the present-day rail and is provided on theinsideof its web 7) with aninwardly and upwardlyinclined ledge 0 extending the length of the rail, the incline being the same as that which obtainswith the flanged groove portion of the present-day rail;

From the base (Z, a, where thelongitudinal ledge 0 meets the web I), the head 6 of the ground rail extends upwardly and at an angle corresponding to the outer face of the flange groove of the present-day rail and to a height equal to about half the depth of the present head and is finished off with a fiat outwardly and downwardly inclined surface f, making an inclined Z-shaped top surface as a whole.

Upon this surface is laid the wearing or surface rail 9 which in cross-section, and at its flange groove portion it exactly corresponds to the present-day practice, but at its front portion 2' is only half the depth of the present-day head, but coincides with the shape of the wearing or tread surface and width thereof, so that when the surface rail g and ground rail a are secured together a head is presented, in cross-section, exactly corresponding to the present-day head, but with the addition thereto of the longitudinal upwardly inclined ledge 0.

The inside edge of the surface or wearing rails for bends or curves should be made stronger, allowance for grinding, as shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 1.

The surface rail 9 is secured to the ground rail a by means of screwed studs y, only one of which is shown, passed through slotted recesses k in the bottom of the flange groove on of the surface rail 9, and taking in tapped holes a in the longitudinal ledge 0 of the ground rail a, this arrangement allowing for expansion and contraction of the surface rail and at the same time clearing the heads 0 of the studs from contact with the flanges of the wheels of the car, viz :-the heads taking in the beforementioned recesses.

By making the engaging surfaces of the surface and the ground rail of the inclined Z-shape shown and described, it will be readily seen that lateral movement of the surface rail, in either direction, is eflectually prevented, outwardly by the upwardly inclined portion of the head of the ground rail and by the screw-threaded studs, inwardly by the wedging action which would obtain between the screw-threaded studs and the upwardly inclined ledge and the surface rail due to the outward movement of said surface rail.

Having now described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

1. A rail of the class described having a head portion including supporting surfaces arranged at diiferent levels and an intermediate substantially upright connecting face, the lower of said supporting surfaces inclining downwardly toward said substantially vertical face and having a fastening receiving opening therein, and a removable tread portion having its underside formed to fit directly against said supporting surfaces of the rail head, and a fastening for entering said opening in the rail head for securing the removable tread thereto.

2, A rail of the class described including a head portion having a pair of supporting flanges arranged at different levels, one of said flanges inclining downwardly toward the vertical center of the rail and having a fastening receiving opening, a removable tread member having an inclined lower face for matching with the surface of the inclined flange, and also having a Wheel flange receiving valley the floor of which is provided with longitudinally elongated openings, and fastenings adapted to fit in said elongated openings of the tread and also in the said fastening receiving opening of the inclined rail flange,

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature hereto this 6th day of May, 1918.

WILLIAM HENRY PUTTERGILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

